Comcast Teams Up with Competitor to Offer International Channels

It’s always great when competitors come together to make something better. In this case, television giants Comcast and DISH Network are teaming up to bring the Sling International app to Comcast’s Xfinity TV platform.

What does this mean? People with a Comcast X1 set-top box will now have access to the nearly 400 international television networks available on Sling International. Sling International is the multi-language television service provided by Sling TV, a streaming service owned by DISH. This service offers multicultural content in 21 languages including French, Italian, Punjabi, Cantonese, Mandarin, and German.

Comcast’s Xfinity X1 is a complete entertainment platform including video streaming, on-demand content, and live TV programming. Together with DISH’s cooperation, the Xfinity X1 DVR becomes the ultimate source of entertainment. It provides live TV on hundreds of channels, local programming, full DVR recording functions, apps like Netflix for video streaming, and now access to hundreds of international channels.

A Win-Win for Everyone

Sling reports that this move follows their commitment to cater to their customers rather than making more work for them. Sling strives to support the devices that people already have in their homes. With many other companies, subscribing to their services means having to purchase and set up a new device. Instead, Sling wants to be available on the devices you already own.

Likewise, Comcast noted their commitment to customer care as a reason for integrating Sling International on their platform. The company’s customer base is becoming increasingly diversified, desiring international content in various languages. The Sling integration was a quick way to deliver multicultural programming to Comcast’s customers and complement the content that they already offer.

How to Take Advantage of this Change

Existing Sling TV customers who have a compatible X1 box will be able to simply sign into the Sling International app using their Sling credentials.

Comcast customers can enjoy Sling International by using their X1 box rather than purchasing a Roku or Amazon Fire TV. They can even use their voice-controlled remote to launch the service by saying “Sling International”. New customers will be able to subscribe to Sling International directly in the app for as little as $10 a month.